Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey rescinds 25 pandemic-related executive orders

PHOENIX — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced on Friday he will be rescinding 25 pandemic-related executive orders following action by the Arizona Legislature to codify into law many of the policies enacted by the orders.

“Throughout the pandemic, we took action to protect Arizonans and their individual freedoms, like banning vaccine passports and protecting access to state universities,” Ducey said in a press release. “Working with our Legislature, we’ve enacted these reforms into law.”

Among the executive orders that were rescinded on Thursday include allowing caregiver trainees to utilize on-the-job training to meet a certification program, ensuring cost-sharing requirements for the COVID-19 vaccine are waived.

Executive orders that will be rescinded on July 9 include the extension of expired driver’s licenses and allowing pharmacists to dispense emergency refills of maintenance medications.

Following enactment of legislation to codify policies, effective September 29, orders such as ones that ban vaccine passports, lift occupancy limits put in place due to the pandemic and ensure college students can’t be required to take the COVID-19 vaccine will be rescinded.

The State Legislature gave authority to the Arizona Department of Health Services to continue requiring hospitals, testing laboratories and other health facilities to provide information and data related to COVID-19, keeping in place 11 enhanced surveillance advisory orders.

Those orders will be repealed on a date determined by AZDHS.

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